A Festival of Amateur Natural History

S.Yorkshire Natural History Day 

Thought of the week is slightly different this week because on Saturday 21st February it was the 15th South Yorkshire Natural History Day at Treeton Miners Welfare near Sheffield. This is an annual event open to all members of the Sorby society and anyone else who wishes to come along, an event where amateur naturalists convene from across the county and beyond to share and listen to talks about Natural History.

I took a little display promoting my blogger site and had a fabulous day talking to other naturalists who have a similar passion for hoverflies, who knew there were so many. Of course, the current president is a hoverfly enthusiast himself, Derek Whiteley.

Anyway, here are some thoughts and sound bites I took from this conference. Apologies in advance if I have mis-quoted any of the speakers, these are just my takeaway thoughts, ideas, questions, and important points. Some of these relate to thoughts about hoverflies and some don’t.

Hoverfly Genera Volume 2

Acrostic hoverfly postcards

Each slide explores a different genus: The genus name is split such that each letter forms a sentence, highlighting unique features of the incredible syrphids within each group, posted alongside artwork and habitat preferences.

All the photographs and artwork featured are my own, making this a truly personal project.

Just added Meliscaeva 22nd February, 

For more Acrostic postcards click on the links below:

Scaeva,Syrphus,Volucella,Helophilus and Episyrphus.

Thank you for your support—every visit helps in keeping this project thriving. 

Drop by often and marvel the world of hoverflies genera!

Meliscaeva

Hoverfly heads under the lens:

What makes them different?

The head of a hoverfly is not only vital, but a fascinating structure designed for several functions some will be obvious and other less so. The intention of this blog is to do an overview of the components of the head that directly or indirectly contribute to flight, feeding, and sensory perception. A separate more in-depth article is probably required to delve into each component, watch out for those posts at some later date. 

Let’s compare a hoverfly head with a bee’s head, which although it may look similar has several interesting differences, see below. I hope to explore those differences, whilst giving ecological and evolutionary reasons for such adaptations and pointing out taxonomical purposes along the way. 

Outwardly there are six external features worthy of examination and discussion. Most of these features are connected to the brain and nervous system which not only processes the visual and olfactory information, but motor control for precision flight to assist in finding flowers and mates, and yet provides split-second decision-making needed to hover and evade predators. 

So, let’s ‘head-in’ and see what we can find…. Sorry I couldn’t resist the pun.

Spotted Thintail (Meliscaeva auricollis)

Spotted Thintail Hoverfly (Meliscaeva auricollis) Wing length 6-9.5mm. Flight all year.

Species to spot in February

Like my previous blog on the Marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) this is also a hoverfly that can be spotted all year round but generally peaks mid-summer with numbers boosted by incoming migrations. Being only the start of February when I write this article, they have already been spotted and reported on social media sites. So, on the next warm day I intend to find a sunny hotspot in the hope of getting a glimpse of one after awakening from its winter torpor. 

Hoverflies at the Winter Olympics

Now for something completely different.....

While hoverflies (Syrphidae) are not Olympic athletes, their specialised, agile flight—including hovering, backward flight, and rapid darting—makes them uniquely suited to mimic the mechanics of certain 2026 Winter Olympic disciplines. 

I think hoverflies would excel in aerial events where precision and vertical movement are key. 

Hovvie at the Big Air event